Three years ago tonight, Aberdeen scored seven against Dundee in the Ladbrokes Premiership.

The game however will be remembered for the fact Dons defender astonishingly Andrew Considine scored three of them.

“I never thought I would see the day when I am being called a hat-trick hero! Andy speaking after the game to RedTV.

“I scored a brace in a couple of games over my career so far but to get a hat-trick is something special. I have done it in front of a packed away stand was fantastic. The support tonight was incredible.

“I should have had four tonight. I should have scored early on. Then from the first one I have managed to escape from my man and I knew that if I kept it low it was going in. The second one I managed to sneak in at the back post and the last one, Ash told me his header was going in! But I slid in and got the last touch and went through the keeper’s legs.

“The goals are for the wife and kids at home. They have to put up with me day in day out talking football. So it is for them.

“A fantastic night.”

RedTV | Look out for a full replay of this match from 7.40pm tonight!

He is the only defensive player to score a hat-trick for the reds.

Was it the greatest ever AFC treble? You decide.

The Red Matchday team look back at some our famous hat-tricks:

AFC hat-tricks

2 players, Alex Merrie (15 November 1930 v Hibs) and Paddy Moore (14 September 1932 v Falkirk) have scored 6 in a match.

5 players, WD Nicol (25 February 1911 v Forfar), Matt Armstrong (12 August 1933 v Ayr Utd), Graham Leggat (12 October 1957 v Airdrie), Norman Davidson (3 February 1960 v Brechin City) and Bobby Cummings (31 January 1962 v Clyde) have scored 5 in a match.

27 players have scored 4 in a match.

167 have scored a hat-trick in a match.

Adam Rooney grabbed his fourth hat-trick against St Johnstone in 2017 (four times 4 x 3).

Joe Harper did it fourteen times 4 x 4 and 10 x 3.

George Hamilton did it ten times 4 x 4 and 6 x 3.

Benny Yorston ten times 1 x 4 9 x 3.

Matt Armstrong eight times 1 x 5, 1 x 4 and 6 x 3.

Paddy Buckley six times 2 x 4 and 4 x 3.

Graham Leggat six times 1 x 5 and 5 x 3.

Eric Black five times. 1 x 4 and 4 x 3.

Duncan Shearer five times 5 x 3.

Norman Davidson four times 1 x 5 and 3 x 3.

Drew Jarvie four times 1 x 4 and 3 x 3.

Willie Mills four times 4 x 3.

Ernie Winchester four times 4 x 3.

Davie Robb four times 4 x 3.

STATS | For the complete list of all the Aberdeen FC hat-tricks please click here

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Six!

In the 1930s Aberdeen did not win any senior honours but they still produced some outstanding teams with some of our greatest ever goal scorers.

The 1930’s also produced several Irish players in the Scottish League and among them was the prolific Paddy Moore, another Irish international who was with Aberdeen.

The Moore story is a fascinating one, and more research is being done as he may well have been one of the greatest ever players to have pulled on a red jersey.

Moore will go down in club history along with Alex Merrie as being the only two Aberdeen players to score six goals for the club in a single game. Moores’s incredible feat came against Falkirk in 1932. Born in Ballybough in 1909, Moore started out with Richmond Rovers and latterly enjoyed a spell with Shamrock Rovers winning the Irish Free State Cup in 1928 before joining Cardiff City a year later.

A disappointing season with Tranmere meant a return to Shamrock Rovers in 1931, winning his first cap in April against Spain. Moore scored the Irish goal in a 1-1 draw. Two years later Paddy became another player to play for both Eire and Northern Ireland when he was selected to play against England. After his transfer to Aberdeen he created his own piece of history when he scored all four Ireland goals in a 4-4 draw against Belgium in a World Cup tie. As a result, Moore became the first player ever to score four goals in a World Cup game.

The other major highlight of Moore’s international career came on 17 October 1936 when he masterminded the FAI XI in a 5–2 win against Germany, again at Dalymount Park. Despite not scoring himself, he helped set up four of the goals. This despite it being reported that he spent the afternoon ahead of the game in a hotel in Dublin drinking. He also single handily took German apart in that game.
But in subsequent seasons his problems with alcoholism began a downward spiral.

In February 1934 Aberdeen manager Paddy Travers accompanied Moore while on international duty against Belgium to help keep him away from alcohol. Travers was aware that Moore had developed a drink problem that would end his career prematurely, and his life. In May 1935 Moore was selected to play for the FAI XI in an away game against Switzerland but he was declared unfit to play after drinking too heavily while travelling to the game. Other similar incidents resulted in Moore being released by Aberdeen.

In his three seasons at Pittodrie Moore notched an impressive 47 goals from only 74 appearances before he returned to his beloved Shamrock in July 1935. Before returning to Shamrock for a fourth time, Paddy Moore had spells with Shelbourne and Brideville. Paddy Moore tragically died aged 42 in July 1951.

READ | there is a well researched article on ‘The Pocket Hercules’ available to read here

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The hat-trick King

By Charlie Allan

Joe Harper is proud of the fact he scored more hat-tricks than anyone else for the Dons.

His club record tally of 205 goals included an astonishing 10 trebles.

The former King of the Beach End also netted four times on four occasions during his two spells at Pittodrie.

“Every goal I scored was special,” said Joe, now an ambassador for the club and still adored by the Red Army more than 36 years after playing his final match in an Aberdeen shirt.

“But any striker will tell you that a hat-trick is what you are hungry for every time you go out on to that pitch.

“It would mean you’re team has most likely won the game – and you will get accolades for having done a fair bit to make that happen.”

Joe always had plenty of praise for another player to scored a few hat-tricks for the Dons, Adam Rooney.

“People said we were pretty similar and I’m honoured by that comparison.

“As a former striker, you tend to watch how the ones in the team now go about their business more than anything else.

“I liked the way Adam made the right runs into the penalty area to get away from defenders and on to the end of chances.

“He also has the knack of being in the right place at the right time to take advantage of mistakes by defenders and goalkeepers.

“Adam would find it as hard as I do to explain why that is the case.

“I put it down to a combination of experience and natural instinct – and hard work on the training pitch.

“I spent a lot of time after the normal training sessions practising shooting and heading crosses into the net, often an empty one.

“Eddie Turnbull (the manager who signed Joe from Morton in 1969) used to join me and we would compete to see who scored the most.

“It meant I was always pretty confident I could get an effort on goal no matter how the ball was fed into me.

“I know Adam is as happy as I was to stay behind and work on things that could give him the upper hand on defenders when it’s needed most.

“I also endeavoured to get my first shot in on goal as early as possible to serve as a reminder to opponents that I was about and meant business.

Joe admits it’s tough picking out a favourite from the 14 he netted for the Dons.

“If you were to push me it would go with the one in 1971 against Partick,” he said.

“They had come to Pittodrie on high after beating Celtic in the League Cup final the week before.

“The Partick keeper was also Alan Rough, one of the best of my generation, who would go on to become a very close friend of mine.

“Scoring three past a keeper of his calibre was no mean feat.

“I also enjoyed the one against Hearts in 1977.

“One of my goals that day, when I juggled the ball over Hearts defender John Gallacher’s head before scoring, was among the most enjoyable of my career.

“The pitch was icy and slippy that day but my low centre of gravity – and wearing trainers instead of boots – meant I coped better than the big guys I was up against.

“Breaking Harry Yorston’s club scoring record against Cowdenbeath later that same year was also something I cherished.

“My first hat-trick for the Dons (in a 5-1 win over Raith Rovers in January 1970) also came the day before my 22nd birthday, which was nice.

“It took a bit of pressure off me because Eddie was giving me stick for not scoring as often as he had wanted after moving to Pittodrie from Morton.

“I would never have envisaged going on to score as many goals as I did at that point, so I have a lot to be grateful for.”

14 of the best from King Joey

Saturday January 10, 1970
League: Aberdeen 5 Raith Rovers 1
Harper (32, 79, 81)
Joe had scored just three times since arriving from Morton earlier in the campaign.
He doubled his tally as the Dons fought back from a goal down, with the first coming from the penalty spot.

Saturday August 22, 1970
League Cup: Aberdeen 7 Airdrie 3
Harper (18,20, 36, 89)
The first of the four matches in which Joe scored four times for the club.
It included a treble inside 18 first half minutes.

Saturday December 5, 1970
League: Aberdeen 7 Cowdenbeath 0
Harper (34,79,89)
The Blue Brazil’s first league visit to Pittodrie for 30 years proved painful.
Joe completed the rout from close range in the final minute.

Saturday October 30, 1971
League: Aberdeen 7 Partick Thistle 2
Harper (29,89,90)
The Dons showed no mercy to the Jags, who had hammered Celtic 4-1 in the League Cup final the previous week. Joe’s last minute third was a clip over advancing Jags keeper Alan Rough.

Saturday April 8, 1972
League: Aberdeen 7 Ayr United 0 (pictured above)
Harper (27,38,61, 83)
The Dons fans chanted “Joey for Scotland” as he scored four times in a match for the second time.
He ended that campaign with an astonishing 42 goals in 47 appearances, but still no caps.

Wednesday August 30, 1972
League Cup: Queen’s Park 0 Aberdeen 3
Harper (11, 53, 60)
Only 1,500 fans were at Hampden to witness Joe scoring his first treble on the road for the Dons.
Drew Jarvie set up two of them as their partnership continued to flourish.

Wednesday September 20, 1972
League Cup: Aberdeen 8 Falkirk 0
Harper (63, 77, 83)
The win was all the more remarkable because it was 0-0 at the break.
Joe also scored twice in the second leg, which the Bairns had the cheek to win 3-2.

Saturday September 30, 1972
League: Aberdeen 7 Motherwell 2
Harper (12, 18, 20, 79)
Some record books claim the third of Joe’s four was an own goal, but that was later corrected.
Joe had scored 26 goals in 26 games before joining Everton in the December for a fee of £180,000.

Monday January 3, 1977
League: Aberdeen 4 Hearts 1
Harper (21, 38, 56)
Joe helped the Dons win the League Cup in his first season back after spells at Everton and Hibs. His treble also ended a four year wait for a home win over the Jam Tarts.

Wednesday August 31, 1977
League Cup: Aberdeen 5 Cowdenbeath 0
Harper (1, 43, 81)
This treble saw Joe break the club scoring record, which had been set by Harry Yorston in the 1950s. It also took the shine off an impressive double from Ian Fleming.

Saturday September 2, 1977
League Cup: Cowdenbeath 0 Aberdeen 5
Harper (42, 61, 82)
The Second Division side were no match for the Dons as they lost 10-0 on aggregate in the second round tie. Joe’s first back-to-back hat-tricks made sure of that.

Saturday April 22, 1978
League: Aberdeen 4 St Mirren 2
Harper (42, 61, 82)
All three of Joe’s goals came from close range as the Dons fought back from going 2-0 down inside the first 10 minutes. Buddies boss Alex Ferguson would take charge at Pittodrie a couple of months later.

Wednesday October 11, 1978
League Cup: Aberdeen 7 Hamilton 1
Harper (9, 36, 80, 86)
Hamilton scored after two minutes to level the tie on aggregate.
Joe’s fourth and final four goal blast made sure there was no shock result, though.

Monday March 19, 1978
League: Aberdeen 3 Morton 1
Harper (2, 56, 82)
Joe has now passed the 200-goal mark in all matches for Aberdeen. After only 90 seconds he took Sullivan’s pass on his chest and shot on the run past Connaghan. This was the first game Pat Stanton sat in the Aberdeen dug out as the Dons assistant manager.

Also:

Monday March 26, 1979

Aberdeen 8 Motherwell 0

Some records claim Joe scored a treble in this game which helped the Dons set a new record victory for the Premier League at the time. But the report from the game gave the goal to Dom Sullivan. In the 47th minute Sullivan hit a tremendous shot which hit the bar and there was some doubt as to whether the ball had crossed the line before Harper hammered into the empty net.

I am sure if we asked Joe he would still be claiming it!

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Hat-tricks v Celtic

Some of the most famous Aberdeen hat-tricks have come against Celtic.

Aberdeen’s top scorer against Celtic is George Hamilton with 12 goals and four of them incredibly came in the one game when the Dons won 5-1 at Parkhead in 1946.

The only other Dons player to replicate that achievement was Frank McDougall in a 4-1 win at Pittodrie in November 1985.

Sadly a TV strike meant those goals were never captured. Scandalous really!

Three other players have grabbed hat-tricks against Celtic.

The most remarkable was Billy Williamson in 1975 for many reasons, none more so than Billy was not a striker and was not renowned for his goals.

The other names mentioned in this article are a who’s who of AFC forwards, but that was certainly not the case with Billy who was mainly a midfielder. He had been transfer listed the season before and also as a team Aberdeen had not beaten the Hoops for nine long baron years before that night.

In a Wednesday night game in a rearranged fixture, Billy netted in either side of half-time and slotted home his third, and what proved to be the winner, from the penalty spot in off the post with 13 minutes remaining. The defeat for Celtic proved to be hugely significant as it was a fatal blow in their quest to win a tenth straight League title. They were now six points behind Rangers with only seven games to go.

Talking about his memorable night Billy later recalled;

“That was a great experience for me and it was the best game I ever played for the Dons. Scoring three goals against Celtic was unforgettable.

“We were scared of no one, let alone Celtic. That is half the battle when you go into big games. The key to beating Celtic is to believe in both yourself and your team’s ability.”

READ | for a full profile on Billy please click here

Steve Archibald scored a sensational hat trick four years later.

It was a perfect hat-trick of right foot, left foot and header. This after Celtic had opened the scoring in the first minute.

Famously Stevie had gone to ask Alex Ferguson for the matchball which was rightly his. When Fergie said he would have to pay for it Archibald promptly booted the ball about the office and walked out. Brave man!

A footnote to this game – Dave Provan scored a very good free kick to give Celtic hope for the return leg in Glasgow. In atrocious weather in November Aberdeen also won this game 1-0 in Glasgow, Mark McGhee scoring.

The other hat-trick came in February 1983.

The biggest crowd in the UK that day watched Scotland’s best two teams going at it. Charlie Nicholas had scored a great opener but then Eric Black took centre stage with two goals on the stroke of half time. He finished off a well worked move in the second half and the Dons efforts would certainly have impressed the watching Bayern Munich scouts who were in the 42,831 crowd.

Eric recently told RedTV:

“I believe I’m still the last person to do that. Score a hat-trick against Celtic at Parkhead.

“Archie Knox texted me when I was at Southampton at the time and we were away playing Inter Milan. I got a text, Celtic were playing Barcelona, and Archie text me and said “Who was the last ever person to score a hat-trick at Celtic Park?” and I thought “Why’s he text me? I have no idea”, and he says “You!”

“So, I still hold that record, no away player has ever scored a hat-trick since.”

READ | interview with Eric Black available here

Europe

Sam Cosgrove this season scored a hat-trick as Aberdeen sealed their place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League with a 5-0 win over Georgian side Chikhura Sachkhere. He was the fourth Aberdeen striker to have scored three in a European game. Frank Munro did so in the Dons first ever European tie and more recently Adam Rooney did the feat in a Europa League victory against Daugava Riga in Latvia. Adam became the first Aberdeen player to score a hat-trick in European football for 30 years, the first since Mark McGhee …

The Dons comeback against Bayern Munich in the Quarter Finals of the European Cup Winners Cup in 1983 is rightly regarded as Pittodrie Stadium’s greatest ever night. However, a year later at the same stage of the same competition, they produced an even greater comeback.

“This all seated stadium erupts with unrestrained joy” proclaimed Archie Macpherson when Mark McGhee scored his first goal of the evening just before half-time. It was the Dons 100th goal in Europe, and as coincidence would have it, the team’s 100th goal that season.

It was about to get a whole lot louder after that…

Mark McGhee was the sinner turned hero in the Dons dramatic ECWC Quarter Final clash against Hungarian side Ujpest Dozsa in 1984. The Dons were looking to become the first side ever to retain the Cup Winners Cup and they were favourites to retain the trophy they won in Gothenburg in May 1983.

The first game in Budapest proved to be an absolute nightmare for the holders. Aberdeen were seen as a real scalp in Europe and the tie in Hungary provided a real test in many ways.

Journeys to Eastern Europe were always difficult to gauge; teams from that region rarely won anything but they would possess good technical ability and trips to the old ‘Iron Curtain’ were renowned for being difficult with travel, accommodation and a hostile environment awaiting visiting teams. Ujpest Dozsa had a good European pedigree, having reached the old Inter Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 when they lost to Newcastle United. That preceded their golden era when they won the Hungarian Championship seven years in a row. Three of the Ujpest side that faced the Dons were also in the Hungary international side. Aberdeen travelled to Budapest on the back of an unbeaten run of 27 games.

That sequence ended in a game that defied belief.

Aberdeen dominated the game but were guilty of some comical defending which gifted the home side two goals and at the other end two inexplicable misses from Strachan and McGhee from all of two yards – as bad as you will ever see – incurred the wrath of manager Alex Ferguson. The Dons boss did not hold back as he looked back on what was a disastrous night for the holders; “We were our own worst enemy. I can’t believe we had so much possession, dominated them from the start and came away with a defeat. If we can’t take our chances then there are consequences. We do have an opportunity to put this right though.”

There was a frenzied atmosphere ahead of the Pittodrie return.

Aberdeen had never pulled back a two‐goal deficit in Europe and were desperate to hold on to their title. A full house at the old stadium anticipated a cracker; manager Ferguson told his players what was expected and to put things right following their nightmare in the first leg.

Mark McGhee proved to be the hero of the hour as his hat trick eased the Dons into their second European semi‐final in as many years. The Hungarians came to defend their two‐goal lead as Aberdeen set up camp in the visitors half and laid siege to their goal. Time wasting and feigning injury prevailed but Aberdeen set about their task immediately and battered the well‐organised Hungarians from the start.

Ujspest were, if nothing else, resilient and were determined to stop the home side at any cost.

This included some wild challenges from time to time and Aberdeen did well to remain calm under such provocation.

It took the Dons 37 minutes to finally break down the defensive wall and the chance was carved out when McLeish refused to give up the cause and kept in play a ball that looked destined to head for a goal kick.

The ball then fell to Miller and he found Strachan on the edge of the box. His cross went deep to the back post where McGhee stretched his neck muscles to head past Szendrei.

Pittodrie erupted into a cauldron of noise and the final eight minutes of the half were played out in an electric atmosphere that clearly unnerved the visitors.

Two minutes later Aberdeen were given a break when the Hungarian’s had a strong penalty claim turned aside and the Dons responded by breaking forward and forcing their keeper into a fine double save.

First he blocked a 30‐yard screamer from Dougie Bell then reacted quickly to block Hewitt’s follow up effort.

The second half saw Aberdeen continue to dominate and Black went close with a header before Strachan crashed a free kick off the cross bar with the keeper beaten. It looked as though time would run out for the Dons but Mark McGhee popped up again two minutes from time.

A throw in on the left was fed to Neil Simpson and his cross found McGhee in the middle and he prodded the ball past Szendrei from six yards.

The match moved into extra time and three minutes after the restart McGhee fired in the winner and his hat trick. Eric Black picked out Strachan and the midfielder swept the ball across the face of the goal where McGhee drilled it into the net despite the best efforts of Szendrei to block.

The winner came in front of the beach end and it erupted as the fight back was completed. Other chances followed from substitute Falconer and a great run from McKimmie.

Then in a moment of madness Kovacs was booked for taking the legs from Black and from the subsequent free kick McLeish challenged the keeper, earning himself a head butt that resulted in Szendrei taking an early bath.

The substitute keeper replacing Szendrei was called into action in the final minute when he dived low to gather a Strachan daisy cutter. The referee then blew for full time and sent the red army home happy and dreaming of a second successive Cup Winners Cup win.

Manager Ferguson was delighted and relieved;

“We challenged the players to prove that they deserve to be where they are. There was pressure on them to haul back that deficit and I always trusted them to come through what was a tough task.

“We knew their game plan and we had to find a way around them. The tactics were anticipated and we showed enough guile to get past them. The better team go through and we look forward to the semi‐final draw.”

That draw included Porto, Manchester United and Juventus. Almost immediately Aberdeen were installed as the bookies favourites to retain the trophy.

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Three pens

By Charlie Allan

Paul Hartley has always regretted the fact suffering the knee injury that brought his playing career to a premature end meant he never managed to complete a full season for Aberdeen.

He gets some comfort from knowing he will always be remembered with affection by the Red Army for making one of the most amazing debuts every by a Dons player.

That was in the 4-0 opening day league victory Hamilton at Pittodrie, on August 14, 2010, when Paul netted a hat-trick of penalties.

He remains the only player to have managed that feat since the formation of the Scottish leagues was altered in 1998 – and was the first to score three times from the spot in any game since Donald Ford had done so for Hearts, against Morton, in 1973.

“It’s a game that will always be special to me,” said Paul, now aged 43 and manager of Aberdeen’s newest SPFL club, Cove Rangers.

“You always dream about making a good debut for a club, especially when you have also just been made team captain.

“Scoring those three penalties made it a very proud day for me, one that I will never forget.

“It came with a bit of pressure though, it’s hard enough having to take one penalty in your first match, never mind three.

“I was also up against a very good keeper in Tomas Cerny, who is at Aberdeen now.

“Thankfully I managed to make good contact with the ball, sending two of the penalties into one corner and the third in the opposite direction.”

Paul had scored hat-tricks before, including one for Hearts when they beat Edinburgh rivals Hibs in the semi-finals on the road to winning the Scottish Cup in 2006, but never in the manner he did that day at Pittodrie.

He said: “It was a great way to get off the mark and I was hoping it was just the start of what we were all hoping would be a successful campaign for the club, but it ended up being a strange season for me.

READ | To see the full interview with Paul, looking back on his time at Pittodrie, click here